Only those who do things are criticized

By Steve Farrell

"He who fears criticism is hopeless," wrote Thomas Jefferson. He explained: "Only those who do things are criticized. To hesitate for fear of criticism is cowardly."

Jefferson could speak. He was one of those who did something. For instance, he penned that Declaration of Independence that among other things boldly and most meticulously detailed the crimes of the Mother Country against the colonists. It was quite the list! This Jefferson did with the enforcement arm of the Mother Country, the British Army and Navy (along with thousands of mercenaries from Germany) already inflicting death everywhere on American soil to her soldiers, to the wives and children of her soldiers, and to the aged. This Jefferson did as the British bombed and then burned villages to the ground. This Jefferson did as they burned their crops and slew their livestock. This Jefferson did as they starved to death any Americans they took prisoner (there were thousands) in what should have been called nothing less than "death camps."

Surely Jefferson's bold Declaration of Independence was his "official" death warrant had the greatest military force in the world prevailed against America's ragtag army of underfed, underdressed, and undermunitioned volunteers. But this Jefferson wrote anyway because it was right. And this his fellow founders signed anyway because it was right. And this he and they did even though they were criticized by tens of thousands of their countrymen (Tories they were called) who lived among them, who were, in fact, family, neighbors, members of the congregation, employers, customers, newspapermen, and fellow public servants because it was right. And this they did even though many of the same would hate them and take up arms against them because it was right. And because it was right, and because they acted on the right, they had hope and faith that God would strengthen their arms, check the enemy, rally the nations of the earth to their cause, and finally deliver them and grant them victory. This He did.

But if He hadn't, it mattered not from the standpoint of what it meant to be a man and to do one's duty. Jefferson and his fellow founders knew they could look God squarely in the eye at that Great Day knowing full well they did their part to the best of their knowledge, ability, courage, and strength; and did it well.

How about us? Today, no British army is breathing down our throats spreading death and destruction everywhere. But we do face a powerful enemy, nonetheless. Men and women dedicated to upholding a system of government, economy, and morality that has produced more death, more slavery, more poverty, more misery, and more suffering than any known to man. A system motivated by hatred, hatred for God, for truth, for justice and mercy; hatred for the family, private property and freedom of choice; and hatred for what our forefathers gave to us at so great a price, the United States of America. And yet what makes it so difficult an opponent is that it doesn't always appear to hate. Most of the time it masquerades as something good, something charitable, something liberating, something quite legitimate and not in the least criminal. It deceives many because it is so much like a wolf in sheep's clothing and because it has friends everywhere propagandizing that it is indeed a sheep, friends in Washington, in the media, in academia, and sadly, among family, friends, church members, employers and fellow employees. Some of them serve the wolf wittingly, most unwittingly, but either way dare to expose them, dare to stand up to them, dare to lovingly persuade them otherwise, and even do it for God, for family, and country and yet with few exceptions the criticism will come back hot and heavy, to humiliate, fire, disenfranchise, and ruin any man or woman or organization that it can.

But what of it? Shouldn't we say with Jefferson: "He who fears criticism is hopeless. And "only those who do things are criticized." And "to hesitate for fear of criticism is cowardly"?

I happen to believe that there are millions of Americans who are not hopeless, who do do things regardless of the personal consequences, and without hesitation, because its right, because they feel duty bound, and because they trust in God. This I believe as well, if enough of us so act we can surely hope as the Founders did that God will strengthen our arms, sharpen our minds, enliven our souls, and Providentially intervene for America again. But if not, I believe that we, like our forefathers, can look God squarely in the eye with a conscience clear.

That's my faith. I hope it is yours.

© Steve Farrell